1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The play begins in Manhattan on the 4th of July, in the early 1980's. It begins with a police officer, Val, chasing a criminal named Willis. More characters, like Parker, Charlie, Alea, and Rusty are introduced as Val begins to confide in them about his conflict in shooting and killing Willis. The dramatic situation of the "accidental" murder gives a moral conflict for all characters throughout the play, except for Parker, who does not know the real story.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
I believe the intrusion takes place right when Val kills Willis. This decision created a conflict for the rest of the play. If Val had just arrested the guy, he would have just brought him in to jail and that would have been the end of it. There would have been no conflict between right and wrong. The instinct to shoot lead Val to change up the crime scene to make it seem like defense, almost without even thinking. This lead to him lying to Parker, which caused him to be at war with himself on whether or not he should tell the truth.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The play takes place in a Manhattan, in an area that is full of crime. This way, the fight against a thief is nothing new to Val. This time, desegregation was still rather fresh. Racism was still very prominent, even after the war in Vietnam where thousands of African American men like Val had served but were still treated with a lack of respect due to his skin color. This disrespect was almost expected, especially for a white criminal being inferior to a black man. This prominent racism was unique in the way that Val felt as if he needed to be treated with respect, especially when pleading for mercy. Val did not empathize with the criminal, solely because he was white. He would not have shot him if he were black, but the treatment of black men by the whites still being so cruel even after the civil rights movement seemed to push Val past his limit.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The most important question to ask is what Val will tell the committee. It is also left to the suspense of the audience whether or not he will tell the truth the Alea, Rusty, or Charlie. That question is answered little by little through conversations in various scenes, but the question that the shooting poses isn't answered until the final scene when Val is in front of the committee about to plead his case of whether the shot was an accident or an act of defense.
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
Against himself, Val is faced with the decision of what to do based on his own morals. He knows he will face guilt no matter what he does, but each decision may bear a different weight on his conscience. Against others, Rusty gives an opinion different from everyone else's. Everyone tells him to cover it up, while Rusty tries to use his own experiences to convince Val to tell the truth in order to be a genuinely good cop and person. Against society, Val is facing the law whether he tells the truth or not. If he tells the truth, he will go to jail and be viewed by society as giving a bad reputation for black people. If he lies, he has the chance of somehow getting caught in his law, which may lead to further consequences. The aspect of fate and God is not quite mentioned, but if Val had been religious, the pressure of the ten commandments in Christianity would have pushed him to tell the truth considering "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not lie".
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The first and most prominent theatrical moment would be the act of Val pulling his gun on Willis. I considered this to be the intrusion, it put the action and conflict into motion. Each time Val admitted what he actually did to his family and friends, even in just small details, was a theatrical moment. He seemed so set on covering up what he did, that it was a surprise that he came out and told the truth. It was especially surprising that he trusted his coworker, Charlie, enough to tell him the truth and trust that he would not tell Parker or the committee. The last and final theatrical moment is the very last scene, when the conclusion of the conflict is announced by a dramatic and difficult meeting, where Val tells the committee the lie instead of the truth.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first image we see is the alley and the low street lights, with Val pointing his gun at Willis. The next is Val sitting at the bar, feeling downtrodden and confused, visibly. This is when he talks about what happened, and then says "I had him cuffed" as the lights dim. Last, we can see Val sitting at the committee table, visibly nervous and shaky. It is all focused in on him, as if the other characters are just voices and not even in the scene with him. These all reflect the title, because the nerves and actions lead to or are result of "split second" decisions of whether or not to shoot, and whether or not to tell the truth.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
A first theme is the process of decision making. Each decision comes with the conflict of wrong versus right, while it also includes the result of a decision. The result affects not just the person making the decision, but also the people around them. This theme shows that a decision should not be made in one instant, and it takes time to think it through, while asking others for assistance. Another theme that plays off of the decision is trust in yourself and your loved ones. Lastly, the theme of family is subtle but important. Val's family has great influence on his decision, especially considering his decision would affect his wife and kids most of all.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
Family, I believe, was the basis of the conclusion of the play. Rusty and Alea are family, and they are his number one confidants and supporters. Val has Alea and his kids to take care of, they need him to be there for all of them, not in jail. If Val did not have a family to take care of, he may have chosen to go to jail. This shows the importance of family, especially in difficult times. Love and responsibilities within a family become a huge priority, even over the law and moral conflict. On the other hand, Val became a cop because of his family situation. His father was a cop and influenced him to be the way he is, so this shows how family can raise you to be a certain way, even if that was not what you wanted. It's a responsibility to reach expectations.
The play begins in Manhattan on the 4th of July, in the early 1980's. It begins with a police officer, Val, chasing a criminal named Willis. More characters, like Parker, Charlie, Alea, and Rusty are introduced as Val begins to confide in them about his conflict in shooting and killing Willis. The dramatic situation of the "accidental" murder gives a moral conflict for all characters throughout the play, except for Parker, who does not know the real story.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
I believe the intrusion takes place right when Val kills Willis. This decision created a conflict for the rest of the play. If Val had just arrested the guy, he would have just brought him in to jail and that would have been the end of it. There would have been no conflict between right and wrong. The instinct to shoot lead Val to change up the crime scene to make it seem like defense, almost without even thinking. This lead to him lying to Parker, which caused him to be at war with himself on whether or not he should tell the truth.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The play takes place in a Manhattan, in an area that is full of crime. This way, the fight against a thief is nothing new to Val. This time, desegregation was still rather fresh. Racism was still very prominent, even after the war in Vietnam where thousands of African American men like Val had served but were still treated with a lack of respect due to his skin color. This disrespect was almost expected, especially for a white criminal being inferior to a black man. This prominent racism was unique in the way that Val felt as if he needed to be treated with respect, especially when pleading for mercy. Val did not empathize with the criminal, solely because he was white. He would not have shot him if he were black, but the treatment of black men by the whites still being so cruel even after the civil rights movement seemed to push Val past his limit.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The most important question to ask is what Val will tell the committee. It is also left to the suspense of the audience whether or not he will tell the truth the Alea, Rusty, or Charlie. That question is answered little by little through conversations in various scenes, but the question that the shooting poses isn't answered until the final scene when Val is in front of the committee about to plead his case of whether the shot was an accident or an act of defense.
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
Against himself, Val is faced with the decision of what to do based on his own morals. He knows he will face guilt no matter what he does, but each decision may bear a different weight on his conscience. Against others, Rusty gives an opinion different from everyone else's. Everyone tells him to cover it up, while Rusty tries to use his own experiences to convince Val to tell the truth in order to be a genuinely good cop and person. Against society, Val is facing the law whether he tells the truth or not. If he tells the truth, he will go to jail and be viewed by society as giving a bad reputation for black people. If he lies, he has the chance of somehow getting caught in his law, which may lead to further consequences. The aspect of fate and God is not quite mentioned, but if Val had been religious, the pressure of the ten commandments in Christianity would have pushed him to tell the truth considering "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not lie".
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The first and most prominent theatrical moment would be the act of Val pulling his gun on Willis. I considered this to be the intrusion, it put the action and conflict into motion. Each time Val admitted what he actually did to his family and friends, even in just small details, was a theatrical moment. He seemed so set on covering up what he did, that it was a surprise that he came out and told the truth. It was especially surprising that he trusted his coworker, Charlie, enough to tell him the truth and trust that he would not tell Parker or the committee. The last and final theatrical moment is the very last scene, when the conclusion of the conflict is announced by a dramatic and difficult meeting, where Val tells the committee the lie instead of the truth.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first image we see is the alley and the low street lights, with Val pointing his gun at Willis. The next is Val sitting at the bar, feeling downtrodden and confused, visibly. This is when he talks about what happened, and then says "I had him cuffed" as the lights dim. Last, we can see Val sitting at the committee table, visibly nervous and shaky. It is all focused in on him, as if the other characters are just voices and not even in the scene with him. These all reflect the title, because the nerves and actions lead to or are result of "split second" decisions of whether or not to shoot, and whether or not to tell the truth.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
A first theme is the process of decision making. Each decision comes with the conflict of wrong versus right, while it also includes the result of a decision. The result affects not just the person making the decision, but also the people around them. This theme shows that a decision should not be made in one instant, and it takes time to think it through, while asking others for assistance. Another theme that plays off of the decision is trust in yourself and your loved ones. Lastly, the theme of family is subtle but important. Val's family has great influence on his decision, especially considering his decision would affect his wife and kids most of all.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
Family, I believe, was the basis of the conclusion of the play. Rusty and Alea are family, and they are his number one confidants and supporters. Val has Alea and his kids to take care of, they need him to be there for all of them, not in jail. If Val did not have a family to take care of, he may have chosen to go to jail. This shows the importance of family, especially in difficult times. Love and responsibilities within a family become a huge priority, even over the law and moral conflict. On the other hand, Val became a cop because of his family situation. His father was a cop and influenced him to be the way he is, so this shows how family can raise you to be a certain way, even if that was not what you wanted. It's a responsibility to reach expectations.